(Photo by Tim Dominick)
The state of South Carolina opened two hydrogen stations on March 30th in an answer to green vehicle fans concerned that hydrogen fueling stations are focused on the West Coast. South Carolina legislators, entrepreneurs and consumers were present at the opening of a hydrogen station in Aiken’s Sage Mill Industrial Park. The Sage Mill opening represented the opening of the state’s Hydrogen Freeway between Aiken and Columbia.
After the Sage Mill fueling station was opened, representatives from The Center for Hydrogen Research drove a hydrogen-powered Chevy Silverado to Columbia. The 59-mile track from Aiken to Columbia culminated in the opening of a second refueling station within minutes of the capitol building. The Columbia Fuel Cell Collaborative worked with The Center for Hydrogen Research to put together this event and get the second station ready for operation.
South Carolina is poising itself as a leader in hydrogen infrastructure based on the events of the past two weeks. The Hydrogen Freeway opening kicked off the National Hydrogen Association Conference and Expo, which saw hundreds of vendors and visitors showing interest in this alternative fuel. The Bridgestone/Firestone facility in the Sage Mill Industrial Park already uses fuel cell forklifts to move tires, showing demand for hydrogen refueling in the community. The Center for Hydrogen Research will not only use the Silverado featured in the March 30th event but a hydrogen-powered Kia Borrego for day-to-day demonstrations.
Republican state legislators may be in the spotlight due to Governor Mark Sanford’s spat with Obama and Congress over economic stimulus but they have committed to hydrogen infrastructure. South Carolina residents have funded a hydrogen research and development center housed at the University of South Carolina to the tune of $40.7 million. State agencies have applied for private and federal grants totaling $58.2 million to turn South Carolina into a haven for makers of hydrogen automobile, fueling stations and fuel cells.
The commitment of the South Carolina legislature as well as local businesses to hydrogen is a template for other states looking to survive economic downturn. Hydrogen may not be lauded like ethanol has been in Washington D.C. but it has been positioned as another alternative to gasoline over the last decade. The examples of California and South Carolina show that hydrogen vehicles will survive anywhere in the United States as long as infrastructure is developed quickly. South Carolina’s creation of a Hydrogen Freeway along with the thicket of hydrogen fueling stations in California may encourage a hydrogen interstate system within the next generation if demand is high enough.
